Food for Thought
by Aulizia
Summary: What happened immediately after Rin was revived? Pretty short and sweet, this is just how I imagined her first few hours with Sesshoumaru and Jaken.


**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine.

**A/N:** I wrote this short oneshot to cheer my sister up. I should warn everyone that I've only seen a _handful_ of Inuyasha episodes so I apologise in advance if anything is completely, well, _wrong_.

* * *

**Food for Thought**

_for E. by C._

"L-Lord Sesshoumaru? It's still following us, my lord."

"Yes, Jaken."

The little kappa demon look greatly perturbed by his lord's apparent indifference to the fact that the little human girl was _still_ following them, and _had_ been following them ever since she had been revived by Tenseiga.

_A **test** he had said, just a **test**. Well, that was all well and good. Humans were just the kind of vermin that should be experimented on after all, but surely Lord Sesshoumaru didn't mean to let the lowly creature **continue** to follow them?_ Deciding to take matters into his own green hands, Jaken stopped walking and turned around to face the human child. He brandished his staff at her and she hesitated.

"Be off with you human!" he shouted in his shrill voice. "Or else you will feel the wrath of the Staff of the Heads!"

"Jaken! Let her be."

The deadly voice of the powerful youkai broke the relative peace of the forest. The very trees seemed to shudder with fear. Jaken trembled pitifully in the face of his lord's displeasure, but he was unable to comprehend the order.

"B-but my lord! Surely you don't mean to let her continue to follow us?" he spluttered.

Lord Sesshoumaru finally deigned to turn around. He looked slowly from his servant to the young human girl that he had saved. The child stared back at him. Wide, innocent eyes regarded him, unafraid and undaunted. The dog demon considered her for a moment, but whatever decision it was that he had reached, he did not speak again. He simply turned around and continued to walk.

..ooOOoo..

Rin was confused.

She was fairly certain that the man she was following was not a man at all but a demon. She had been warned about demons. They were terrible creatures that would hurt, kill and, most probably, eat her, but… but it was _humans_ who had murdered her family and _humans_ who had hurt and beaten her so badly… whereas demons- _this_ demon had saved her. Rin didn't understand how, and she didn't know why, but that didn't matter. Her life belonged to him now. She would follow wherever he led.

She _did_ wish that he wouldn't lead quite so far so fast though! Her little legs were having trouble keeping up and she was desperately hungry. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She didn't dare stop or go in search of food though in case she lost her saviour. _Lord Sesshoumaru…_ that was what the little green creature had called him. Rin rolled the name around on her silent tongue, but she didn't know if she would ever dare speak it.

"Ah! My Lord! We are approaching a human village, are we not? This is where you intend to leave the girl, am I right?"

Rin blinked and looked up on hearing the squeaky sound of the small, toad-like demon's voice. She drew a sharp breath. She wasn't being left behind, was she? They had travelled so far that she didn't even know where she was now! She gazed up fearfully into the cold golden eyes of Lord Sesshoumaru as he spoke to the smaller demon.

"I want you to go into the village and find the human something clean to wear."

"WHAT!" Jaken howled, while Rin sighed with relief.

..ooOOoo..

_The human's kimono reeked of wolves and blood and death. It was for the sake of his own sanity that he had sent Jaken to find her something else to wear._

_Of course, that didn't explain why he had saved her in the first place…_

"Tenseiga," he murmured cryptically, flexing the fingers of his right arm, his _only_ arm, thanks to his filthy hanyou brother.

Sesshoumaru stared out across the dusky horizon and reminded himself firmly that he had far more pressing matters to attend to… _the fact that Inuyasha had discovered the Wind Scar for a start…_ but it was becoming increasingly difficult to think with the human's stomach making such a noise!

"If you are hungry you must find something to eat," Sesshoumaru murmured coolly, dismissing the girl.

_Humans were so weak, so pathetic... they had so many needs that had to be fulfilled just in order for them to live! _Sesshoumaru curled his lip in disgust, but another hungry rumble from the child's stomach alerted him to the fact that she had not left to search for her supper. He turned, and regarded her again. She was sat on a rock, chin resting on her knees, staring back at him in her sad, silent way.

A frown darkened Sesshoumaru's face as he wondered for the first time if she had eaten any of the food that she had offered to him? _Foolish girl. _He had already more than repaid her worthless service! And yet… something stopped him from chasing her away.

"Come," he sighed. There was an orchard on the outskirts of the human village. He could smell the scent of fruit in the air. The girl smiled suddenly and bounced instantly to her feet. _Well, at least she was obedient…_

..ooOOoo..

Rin trailed unquestioningly behind the youkai, despite the fact that she was growing a little unsteady on her legs. Her hunger pangs were nearly crippling. Unless she wanted to starve, she needed to find food. It was no good she _had_ to stop soon.

In fact, she stopped sooner than expected, when she bumped into the back of the suddenly stationary demon. Rin yelped and jumped away, bowing very, _very_ low in humble apology for her clumsy distraction.

She risked a peak up at Lord Sesshoumaru after a few moments, afraid that she had angered him and that he would now send her away. His face was as unreadable as ever, although his silver head was tilted to one side, and his golden eyes were deeply thoughtful as he started down at her.

"You do not wish to eat?"

Rin blinked, looked around, and realised that they were standing by the gate of an apple orchard. Her eyes lit up, she clapped her hands together and she rushed forwards towards the fruit, but before she reached the first tree she stopped dead, turning around to make sure that the demon lord hadn't left.

Satisfied that he was still there, Rin moved towards the fruit trees again, but now she kept one eye on the youkai at all times. A new problem soon presented itself however. She was too small to reach the apples!

Rin sighed heavily. She would have to climb up one of the trees. After selecting the one that looked like it would be easiest to master, she tried to pull herself up onto the bottom branch, however it groaned and started to splinter under even her slight weight. Rin dropped back down to the ground, temporarily defeated, and started searching for another way up.

"No."

She looked around with a start, surprised to see her demon lord standing so much closer. She stared up at him, a question in her eyes.

"That branch will not support you either," he said, without a flicker of emotion.

Rin's mouth formed a thoughtful 'O' and she pointed to a third branch. The demon shook his head silently. It wasn't until Rin had made her fifth choice that he nodded.

She climbed, not gracefully but carefully, until a shiny red apple was within her grasp. Smiling eagerly, Rin settled on the branch with her back against the tree trunk and picked the fruit, taking a hungry bite she enjoyed the spoils of her small victory.

**The End**


End file.
